PNR earmarks P2.5B for infra upgrade in ’15

State-owned Philippine National Railways (PNR) is spending P2.5 billion next year to upgrade and refurbish existing infrastructure.

The announcement comes ahead of the system’s 122nd anniversary today, according to a company statement.

“This (spending) is mostly for the improvement of various PNR infrastructure and facilities, including the repair of rolling stocks to better serve the riding public. Hopefully, in the years to come, PNR can procure brand-new rolling stocks and, at the same time, improve and build new railway tracks,” PNR general manager Joseph Allan Dilay said in the statement.

“For the next 50 years, we aim to not only double, but triple, and maybe even more, our capacity to serve the needs of our riding public and meet the demands of the economy,” he added.

PNR currently operates the Metro South Commuter (MSC) line that runs daily from Tutuban to Mamatid in Laguna.

The year 2014 marks a milestone for PNR. It is the year the PNR Charter (or Republic Act 4156, an Act creating the Philippine National Railways) was renewed for another 50 years by the Congress, the statement showed.

“PNR is all about progress. Every year, passenger ridership increases and we have to cope with the demand and the changing times. It is no longer the alternative mode of transportation, but we aim to be the main mode of transportation even outside Metro Manila,” said Dilay.

The train system was founded on Nov. 24, 1892 as the Ferrocarril de Manila-Dagupan during the Spanish colonial period, and later became the Manila Railroad Company (MRRco) at the time the Americans colonized the Philippines, catering passengers from Manila to Dagupan.

In 1930s, the first Bicol train was put into commercial operations. During this time, the North and South railroad was inaugurated. By virtue of the RA 4156 on June 20, 1964, the corporate name MRRco changed to Philippine National Railways, an attached agency under the Department of Transportation and Communications.

The anniversary celebration, meanwhile, will be led by Dilay at the central office of PNR at the Tutuban Station, Nov. 24, with the awarding of PNR employees for their loyalty and services.